nitlioner Posted January 14, 2014 #1 Share Posted January 14, 2014 We will be cruising out of Galveston for the first time and have never flown into Houston. Other than the obvious flight cost and schedules, is there any advantage to flying into or out of either of the 2 airports? It looks like Hobby is further south so most likely it could be quicker to get to. Any thoughts from those who know the area or have flown there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Tillie Posted January 14, 2014 #2 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hobby is a "small" airport (well, compared to IAH) and is much closer to Galveston. The vast majority of flights into Hobby are on Southwest. If it's possible, I'd always pick Hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckerDave Posted January 14, 2014 #3 Share Posted January 14, 2014 What airline are you flying? Southwest you have no choice but hobby. United you will be at the big airport for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitlioner Posted January 15, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted January 15, 2014 What airline are you flying? Southwest you have no choice but hobby. United you will be at the big airport for example. We haven't made any flight arrangements yet, still pretty far out, but was just curious about the 2 airports. If a certain airport has more negatives for whatever reason, we might try to avoid it if possible. We fly from the Baltimore area so Southwest is always an option we consider, but almost all the majors are available to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlondeValor Posted January 15, 2014 #5 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Wish I would have asked this question before I booked flight into IAH. Transportation costs are all much higher from IAH to Galveston. Definitely go into HOU unless it is several hundred dollars cheaper, because the shuttles are more expensive, and "on airport" car rental fees are astronomical thru IAH. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted January 15, 2014 #6 Share Posted January 15, 2014 We haven't made any flight arrangements yet, still pretty far out, but was just curious about the 2 airports. If a certain airport has more negatives for whatever reason, we might try to avoid it if possible. We fly from the Baltimore area so Southwest is always an option we consider, but almost all the majors are available to us. Hobby is closer to Galveston being on the south side. IAH is on the north side of Houston. There are no negatives as an airport "is an airport". IAH is the major international airport. Hobby was the first airport in Houston and probably has more traffic due to general aviation. The airlines that serve Hobby are: Air Tran, American, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, ATA, Branson, Delta and Southwest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Tillie Posted January 15, 2014 #7 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hobby is closer to Galveston being on the south side. IAH is on the north side of Houston. There are no negatives as an airport "is an airport". IAH is the major international airport.Hobby was the first airport in Houston and probably has more traffic due to general aviation. The airlines that serve Hobby are: Air Tran, American, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, ATA, Branson, Delta and Southwest Your list for airlines flying into Hobby is a little obsolete. According to the official website the current airlines are Air Tran, American, Delta, Jet Blue and Southwest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitlioner Posted January 15, 2014 Author #8 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Thanks for the input. Not being familiar with Houston or the airports, you never know if there is something that makes one stand out over the other. The comment about transportaion costs is good to know. Is there any traffic issues on the north side of the City vs the south side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sminfiddle Posted January 15, 2014 #9 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Hobby is closer to Galveston being on the south side. IAH is on the north side of Houston. There are no negatives as an airport "is an airport". IAH is the major international airport. Southwest has that "Two Bags pp Fly Free" thing going for them as a plus. Also, they don't charge a Change Penalty Fee for changing your flight - right up until 10 minutes before. The people getting nervous about delays in disembarkation are invariably on Other Airlines who apparently are not as flexible. Is there any traffic issues on the north side of the City vs the south side? Well, there's a lot more ROAD between the northern parts and Galveston, than from Hobby to Galveston. Come rush hour, both directions get some traffic issues. Your odds are better going with the "Shorter Distance" plan, for sure! Edited January 15, 2014 by sminfiddle etaoin shrdlu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addictedtocruising Posted January 15, 2014 #10 Share Posted January 15, 2014 There doesn't seem to be any non stop flights going into Hobby from Philadelphia, that is a deal breaker :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckerDave Posted January 15, 2014 #11 Share Posted January 15, 2014 . Is there any traffic issues on the north side of the City vs the south side? Well, there is the 4th largest city in the US between IAH and Galveston. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sminfiddle Posted January 15, 2014 #12 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Okay, "Best Answer" goes to Dave, no doubt about it. Here's a good boiled-down set of info that I think you'll like, from a nearby thread: From Bush Airport IAH it is 70 miles to Galveston cruise terminal. That could take you anywhere from 1 1/4 hours to 3 hours, just depends on traffic and road construction. Hobby Airport HOU is just over 40 miles from the Galveston cruise terminal. That could take you 45 minutes or 1 1/2 hours. Again dependant on traffic and construction. If I was doing this I would not schedule a flight from HOU before noon or IAH before 2PM. I would also fly in the day before and stay on Galveston island the night before the cruise. I live 53 miles from IAH, which is the airport I always fly out of. I have gotten to the airport in 45 minutes and I have gotten to the airport in 2 1/2 hours. You just never know, so I always allow at least 3 hours before my flight. Hope this helps. :) I also hope this helps. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted January 15, 2014 #13 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Your list for airlines flying into Hobby is a little obsolete. According to the official website the current airlines are Air Tran, American, Delta, Jet Blue and Southwest. This list is from the current website at Hobby this morning. Perhaps they changed it in the last 3 hours:rolleyes: Edited January 15, 2014 by Galveston Cruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addictedtocruising Posted January 15, 2014 #14 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Should I worry about much traffic on a Sunday? My flight out isn't until 5:45pm what time should I leave the island to get there in plenty of time? Thanks much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanhawk Posted January 15, 2014 #15 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Wish I would have asked this question before I booked flight into IAH. Transportation costs are all much higher from IAH to Galveston. Definitely go into HOU unless it is several hundred dollars cheaper, because the shuttles are more expensive, and "on airport" car rental fees are astronomical thru IAH. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app This Sunday I fly into Houston (IAH), and I booked my transportation through Carnival to get me to Galveston and back-I think it was $90 RT, may have been $10 cheaper for the shuttle service out of Hobby. May have been cheaper if I rented a car-don't know-traveling solo, so I didn't want the hassle....yes, it does seem expensive getting from Houston to Galveston. Bought and paid for, so I'm a happy cruiser!:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Tillie Posted January 15, 2014 #16 Share Posted January 15, 2014 This list is from the current website at Hobby this morning. Perhaps they changed it in the last 3 hours:rolleyes: My info is from fly2houston.com/hobby. That's the official website for the Houston Airport System. Check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted January 15, 2014 #17 Share Posted January 15, 2014 My info is from fly2houston.com/hobby. That's the official website for the Houston Airport System. Check it out. houstonhobby.com There are still several options to fly into Hobby, but always check with the airline first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckerDave Posted January 16, 2014 #18 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Should I worry about much traffic on a Sunday? My flight out isn't until 5:45pm what time should I leave the island to get there in plenty of time? Thanks much! You will be fine. You could leave by noon and still have plenty of time to wander around the airport on a Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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